Method of charging compartments with gas.



Patented May 20, I902 J. D; MOORE & F. M. MARTIN.

METHOD OF CHARGING OOMPAB'I'MENTS WITH GAS. f

(Application filed May 29, 1901.)

Minesses: V v

b Am, mm;

UNITED STAr1 35;

PAT- T- OFFICE,

JOHN D; MOORE, OF-NEW YORK, AND FRED-M; MARTIN, or BROOKLYN,

EW'YORms I- MOORE ASSIGNOR o THE CLAYTON FIRE EXTIN- euisnmea DISINFECTIYNG COMPANY,'A' CORPORATION OF wEsT VIR-t GINIA.

METHOD OFCHAiRGING CIOMPARTMIENTS WITH GAS,

SPECIFICAT ON formingpart of Letters Patent No. 700,538, dated ma 20', 1902.

"A pplilcationiiledMay 23,1901. smart. 61,344. (NoinodeL) To all whom it rrmyi'conicerns vBeit known that we, J OHNDglVIOORE, of the borough of Manhattan in the city; and county of New York, andFRED'llL MARTIN, of the borough of Brooklyn, inthe county" of Kings, in

the city and State of NewYork, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMethods of Oharg-. ing- .Olosed Compartmentswith Gas, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part ofthe same. I

Our invention isanimprovement in moth-1 ods of charging closed compartments with gas for the purposesof fumigating-or pre venting or extinguishing fires of, the general character set forth or practiced by the 'appa ratus described in Letters Patent to Thomas A. Clayton, No. 633,807,dated September 26, 1899, and No; 661,496, dated November 13,

1900. p p t Our present improvement: has for its primary object the more rapid, economical, and efiective production of a :gas, 'such as sulfur dioxid, under conditionsfor usein fumigating ships or buildings oracharging compartments, such as the holds of ships and the rooms of warehouses, for preventing or e51 tinguishing fires therein, or-for other similar purposes.

The invention may be practiced by the use of apparatus of widely-varying character;

but for purposes of illustration we have annexed hereto a d rawin g of a special apparatus for which We have filed an application for,

patent of even date herewith.

Figure 1 is a view of our improved genrator, a-cooler, and pump or blower connected? in operative relation, the'generatorandco'oler being shownin-horizontal:section; and Fig 2 is a vertical section of the generatoron'line l The generator, surrounded, preferably on top, b o'ttom,=- andrendsyasfar as practica-I ble, with a wrapping of asbestos, mineral wool, or other suitable adia'thermanous material C, or is otherwise-insulated to I prevent the radiation of heat; 1 g p 7 Within the generator is a system of pipes F for the substancesusedfor the v generation 'se nted at R, and consists ofa receptacle hay- "ing two chambers at its opposite ends con nectedby aserios of pipes S, fardund which, 1 :1 air or water is caused to circul'ate'in the usual 1 7 Jwi way, the inlet and'outle t'pipes for-the cooling medium-being designated by-T T.:'

From the cooler 'R a pipe .U leads to a. suc

tion 'pumpQOr fan V, and from the latter a pipe. 1' f W leads to the cOmpartnien'tint-O which the gas is tobe delivered;

employed a system of controlling-valves and chambers by the operation or manipulation of which aireithe'r from the outsideo'r from V f 8o l the compartment to be charged, or both, is suppliedito' the interiori of, the generator and from the latter is drawn'or forced through the cooler and into the compartment; but insuitable construction and :will be more readily. understood'by 'a'statem'ent of their functions than by a detailed reference to their-specific character or"form'theywill be'described in connection with the foIl wingteXPOSiti n of the operation and manner of using'th eapjparatus as a whole. v V r I I a Letit be assumed thata given compartment is to be charged for purposes of fumigation or for the purpose of supplying therein an atmosphere which is a non-supporter of com- 7, bustion either for thepurpose of preventing In connectionwith the generator there is asmuch as these parts are or'may be of any or extinguishing a fire. Two connections are made with said compartmentone by the pipe W from the fan or pump, the other by pipe K to the generator. A quantity of material, such as sulfur, by the combustion of which the gas is produced, is placed in the bottom of the generator and on the perforated support F and ignited by introducing a handful of burning waste saturated with oil or other inflammable substance. The generator is then closed by the door B. At the same time the blower or pump Vis started and communication established from the generator to the pump through pipes M by opening a valve P and from the outside air to the generator through a valve H, a chamber I, a valve G, and a pipe Y, of which the perforated pipes D form branches. The operation of opening the valve P opens the valve G and closes a valve N, which controls communication between the chamber I and the pipe L, leading to the cooler and the pump. In like manner the opening of valve H to admit air to the chamber I closes a valve J, and thereby shuts off communication through pipe K between the compartment and the generator. For this purpose the valves G, P, and N may be and are shown as mounted on the same stem, which is operated by a hand-wheel Q, and valves II and J are similarly secured to a common stem, which is thrown by a lever O. The operation of the pump under the conditions just. assumed draws in air through the valves H G, chamber I, and pipes Y D, producing a vigorous and perfect combustion of the sulfur in the generator and carrying off the products of combustion through pipe M, valve P, andpipe Z, to and through the cooler R and pipe U, and forcing itinto the compartment through pipe W. In this way a large volume of gas is quickly generated; but as soon as the combination of the heated sulfur with the oxygen contained in the air supplied. approximates completeness the valve N, leading to the passage L, is partially opened, and a portion of the air-supply is diverted from the passage Y, leading to the generator,and passes through the chamber into the stream of heated gases from the generator, which gases may contain uncombined sulfur vapor in aheated state, with which the oxygen contained in the diverted stream of air unites. In this manner the gases arefreed from practically all uncombined sulfur, and upon cooling almost no flowers of sulfur are deposited.

Having now described our invention, what we claim is 1. The method of rapidly producing in closed compartments an atmosphere of sulfurdioxid gas for fire-extinguishing or disinfecting purposes, which consists in heating a gasproducing substance in a suitable generator, forcing air through the generator and bringing into union with the gas and vapor issuing therefrom, and while still in a highly-heated state, an additional quantity of outside air,

sufficient only in amount to convert the uncombined sulfur into gas, cooling the resulting gases and conveying them to the compartment, as set forth.

JOHN D. MOORE. FRED M. MARTIN. \Vitnesses:

M. LAWsoN DYER, BENJAMIN MILLER. 

